HTC Droid DNA vs. iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy S3: Spec showdown

HTC and Verizon have announced the Droid DNA, the first smartphone with a 1080p resolution screen to be launched in the USA. It measures 5-inches though, which means it’s really a tablet/smartphone hybrid, however the overall size of the chassis isn’t much larger than the Samsung Galaxy S3, so anyone who uses that as their everyday phone, may be willing to accept the Droid DNA too.

It’s also HTC’s most technically impressive phone, and therefore deserves to battle it out with the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Apple iPhone 5, it’s two closest smartphone rivals. Here’s how it compares:

iPhone 5

Galaxy S3

Droid DNA

Size

123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 (mm)

136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 (mm)

140.9 x 70.6 x 9.7 (mm)

Weight

112g

133g

140g

Screen

4.0-inch LCD

4.8-inch Super AMOLED

5-inch Super LCD 3

Resolution

1136×640 pixels

1280×720 pixels

1920×1080 pixels

OS

iOS 6.0.1

Android 4.0 with TouchWiz UI

Android 4.1 with HTC Sense 4+

Storage

16/32/64GB

16/32GB

16GB

SD Card Slot

No

Yes

No

Processor

Dual-core A6X

Dual-core Snapdragon S4 (US)

1.5GHz, quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro

RAM

1GB

2GB

2GB

Connectivity

Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+

Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+

Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, EV-DO Rev.A

Camera

Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP

Front 1.9MP, Rear 8MP

Front 2.1MP, Rear 8MP

Bluetooth

Yes, version 4.0

Yes, version 4.0

Yes, version 4.0

Battery

1440mAh

2100mAh

2020mAh

Charger

Lightning connector

Micro USB

Micro USB

Marketplace

Apple App Store

Google Play Store

Google Play Store

Price

$200+

$200+

$200

Availability

AT&T, Sprint, Verizon

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon

Verizon

As expected, the Droid DNA has the largest screen and is the heaviest of the three, but in other areas — including the all-important cost — it’s a close-run battle. The Droid DNA’s processor is a quad-core monster and it has 4G LTE connectivity, while the Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5 both have dual-core chips, plus the Droid DNA’s 1080p resolution beats the other two on paper. Just how much better the Droid DNA’s 440ppi pixel density panel is than the iPhone 5’s Retina screen, remains to be seen.

However, the lack of expandable memory is a problem, but perhaps not as much as the battery, as it’s smaller even than the Galaxy S3’s; which doesn’t have a 5-inch, 1080p screen to run. We won’t know how much of a concern this will be until we get the Droid DNA out into the real world though.

However, there’s no denying the Droid DNA has been well-priced, and that amazing screen is sure to win it plenty of fans.